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As Quartz’s time at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas comes to a close, we have rounded up CES’s best phones, TVs, concept cars, and miscellany. Rather than being focused on breakout gadgets, this year was especially homogenous, dominated by similar products competing in a few categories: We saw droves of autonomous, electric concept cars, variations on the smart speaker, and half-baked home robots. The best gadgets, listed below, were chosen because they actually managed to differentiate themselves from the herd, or seemed like real, viable products amidst a field of prototypes.
Even though Amazon wasn’t showing off Alexa at its own booth, the digital personal assistant stole the show as the most widely integrated technology: It was hooked up with smart speakers, refrigerators, lamps, robots, cars, and the list goes on.
There’s no reason for Amazon to be mad at other companies tapping into Alexa’s virtual brain. More people using the service means more data for Amazon, and as one of Alexa’s chief skills is ordering items from the commerce site, it probably means more sales, too. (These integrations also garner valuable press for Alexa, such as this article.) At the end of the day, the more people who see the worth of employing its services as a virtual assistant, the more robust the service becomes for users.
It’s also worth noting the only company that had dominated CES to this extent without actually attending has traditionally been Apple. In previous years, phones were measured against the iPhone’s often-imitated design, apps and peripherals were judged based on their compatibility with the App Store, and any device that was accepted for sale at Apple’s gleaming aluminum temples proudly displayed their status as an Apple Store product. This year, the Alexa logo was displayed with that same pride.
In 2017, it’s really, really difficult to innovate in smartphones. Regardless of the manufacturer, they’re all pocket supercomputers with amazing cameras and features. That’s why the ZTE Axon 7 Max was so interesting. It has something few other smartphones have—two rear-facing stereoscopic cameras—and something no others have: the ability to take 3D photos. Tap into the camera, click on the 3D-photo function, and you can create something that looks akin to a hologram, with actual depth and definition between objects in the images. As fun as ZTE’s 3D photos are though, until there’s a critical mass of people with access to the technology, it may well remain a niche gimmick. (It’s also worth noting that most major manufacturers are saving their best phones for later in 2017.)
Honorable mention: The Kodak Ektra.
Kodak’s latest device looks and feels more like a vintage camera than a smartphone. In addition to the normal features found on modern smartphones, the Ektra has a massive 21-megapixel camera strapped to the back and comes with a carry case that harkens back to old-school camera cases. Hipsters will love it.
CES was teeming with robots of all shapes and sizes this year, though few of them seemed particularly useful, and many of them just didn’t seem to work. But one robot stood out to us: Kuri, from startup Mayfield Robotics. The company is backed by Bosch, one of the largest technology conglomerates in the world (and renowned roboticists in their own right). Mayfield aims to be the first company to build a robot that people welcome into their homes as they would a pet.
Kuri can do some of the things that smart-home hubs like the Amazon Echo or Google Home are equipped for, like play music and audiobooks from a built-in speaker, but it can also be used to patrol your home and use computer vision to check up on pets, see when the kids arrive home from school, or determine if unwanted guests have dropped in. Kuri’s animations and personality were designed by a former Pixar animator, and the robots really feel as if they have agency and presence: They look around, get antsy, are inquisitive, are happy to see people, and respond to your stimuli.
Although Kuri will only cost $700 when it’s released in December, it’s not entirely clear if we need to invite these sorts of bots into our homes when Alexa and Siri are already doing these serviceable jobs. But compared with all the other offerings at CES, Kuri actually seemed to be happy to work for us humans.
The best tech disappears into the user’s life, summoned only when needed. Samsung took that design philosophy to heart with the Lifestyle TV, a picture-frame-shaped television that never turns off. Instead, when it’s not being used for its primary purpose, the monitor displays images, such as digital recreations of paintings, family photos, or professional photography. Plus, maybe a TV that masquerades as art when it’s not in use might help with that New Year’s resolution to watch less tube.
Looking rather like a Prius from 20 years in the future, the Concept-i is an extremely stylish sedan with gullwing doors and glass paneling in very strange places. But the real craziness in this car is on the inside: It comes equipped with an AI driver called Yui that learns your moods and responds accordingly, and is represented as a pulsing beam of light that appears all over the car. According to Popular Mechanics, Yui can also talk to drivers to help them stay attentive while driving manually. The car is just a concept, meaning we’re not likely to see any production vehicle on the road any time soon, but it’s a pretty radical representation of where one of the largest automakers in the world sees the design and use of cars heading toward.
Honorable mention: Mercedes Vision Van
This bizarre concept van combines a delivery truck, a robot-sorting device, and drones to become the future of short-range delivery. And, for some reason, you use a joystick to drive it.
It’s not a new design, but HP’s new Spectre is a win purely on principle: It’s not a sin to make a device thicker for better functionality. HP says the sub-millimeter addition to the laptop’s height allowed a 23% larger battery.
Is it a mobile Windows PC? Is it an Android tablet? Is it an Android smartphone? No, it’s Graalphone!
Okay, actually, it’s none of those things yet—because Graalphone is only a non-working mock-up. The 4-in-1 PC/tablet/phone/digital camera is highly unlikely to become a real product, despite the confidence of boothside PR reps. Why would it have two operating systems? Why does a phone slide out the middle? Why have such a weird optical zoom? Why doesn’t the screen stay up in desktop mode? Who wants to type on a 5-inch physical keyboard?
So many questions that will never be answered. Long live the Graalphone—at least its spirit.
Most obtuse descriptor: ”A multi-layer multi-technology contingency system.” — Nick Sampson, SVP at Faraday Future, during a presentation
Most mocked tech product: A smart hairbrush by Withings
Amount gambled by Quartz reporters/money won by Quartz reporters: $1/-$0.87
Casinos visited by Quartz reporters: 9
Combined distance walked by Quartz reporters over three days: 51.7 miles


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In case you missed it, there’s a brand new exhibit over in EPCOT at the American Adventure Pavilion!
It’s called The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure, and it features a lot of cool exhibits about the history of jazz music!
Earlier today we sounded the alarm that Halloween merchandise has officially arrived at Walt Disney World!
And now we’re back to take a closer look at some of the goodies we saw on display at World of Disney!
The 2020 Taste of EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival is officially here!
Whether you’re snacking on some mac and cheese or sipping on a frozen drink, there are lots of ways to enjoy this festival. Some of EPCOT’s own residents are even celebrating the occasion in their own special way!

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EA’s Skate reboot will reportedly include controversial loot box system
According to EA’s Skate beta players, the free-to-play game is set to have a loot box system, which could bring monetization controversy.
That said, the devs have allowed selected players to play the new Skate game early through playtesting. We know that the game will be free-to-play, but this new live-service format for games usually comes with in-game microtransactions and a store.
Microtransactions are notoriously controversial in the gaming space, but there’s no information regarding their existence when it comes to EA’s new Skate game.
The devs have made it clear that the game won’t be pay-to-win, and while recent news from the playtesting of the game has revealed that there are now loot boxes in the build, it’s not as bad as it sounds.
How to get Skate loot boxes & rewards
According to Insider Gaming, they were told by playtesters of Skate that loot boxes are now in the build that they get to play. While at first, you may think this would involve microtransactions, apparently the only way to currently get these loot boxes is through completing in-game challenges.
Players are rewarded with “Stars” for completing challenges, which can then be used as currency to purchase loot boxes, costing around two to three Stars per box. Players get one item from these loot boxes, and the item they get is cosmetic, with rewards like skateboard stickers and clothing.
Depending on the difficulty of the challenge, players can gain more Stars, allowing them to get loot boxes more quicker. The fact that loot boxes can be earned rather than purchased makes the system much less controversial.
That said, this doesn’t mean that players won’t be able to purchase these loot boxes with real money when Skate officially launches, which is what playtesters believe, according to Insider Gaming, but only time will tell.
Even if this is the case, it’s still only cosmetic items, and there is still a way for players to earn through playing the game rather than purchasing. As official news is released about Skate’s loot boxes we’ll be sure to update you so stay tuned.
For more, check out some of our other guides below:
Image Credits: EA


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Koo – touted by many as India’s answer to Twitter – will hire some of the workers laid off by the Elon Musk-owned company, said Mayank Bidawatka, co-founder, Koo.
“Very said to see #RIPTwitter and related to # to this going down. We’ll hire some of these Twitter ex-employees as we keep expanding and raise our larger, next round. They deserve to work where their talent is valued. Micro-blogging is about people power. Not suppression,” tweeted Bidawatka on Friday.
Bidawatka’s post came after #RIPTwitter trended on the microblogging website throughout Friday after hundreds of employees exited the tech giant over Musk’s ultimatum to them to work for ‘long hours at high intensity’ or leave.
Also Read: Elon Musk on ‘all-time high usage’ amid Twitter exodus reports over new ultimatum
Additionally, the Tesla CEO and world’s richest person, who bought the company in October, has already sacked around 3,700 Twitter employees, including those in the firm’s India team.
Also, in recent days, several top companies, including Twitter, Meta, and Amazon, have laid off their staffers. Koo has become the latest organisation to announce it will provide employment opportunity to the laid off employees.
Similar offers have been made by Jaguar Land Rover, Dream 11, Venture Firms etc.


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BlackBerry Live event held in Orlando, USA, Tuesday (14/5), BlackBerry announced their new hero on the BlackBerry 10 platform, the BlackBerry Q5.
Quoted from Ubergizmo, Wednesday (15/5), according to a recent leak outstanding, the Q5 is a cheap version [...]
A Russian astronaut managed to record a new record as the oldest still active astronauts ‘walks’ in outer space.
Quoted by FoxNews, Monday (22/4), Pavel Vinogradov is recorded as the oldest astronaut at the age of 59 years.
Pavel has been [...]
This time TechBoom try to give a brief review of the latest security system from Symantec, Norton Internet Security 2013. What are the advantages? Consider the following reviews.
The main features
Norton Internet Security (NIS) 2013 already have all [...]
Promoting tourism and economic development to the outside world with more easily.
Google began to introduce the features of Google Street View in Indonesia after Friday afternoon (11/23) symbolically release two special cars that will record the roads [...]
Ever occur to you to try out Android applications on Windows-based computers? If so, maybe this one could be a solution.
Quoted from Ubergizmo, Monday (01/28), a program called WindowsAndroid allow it.
Although not a new series running Android, the Jelly [...]
PT. Samsung Electronics will soon bring the Samsung Galaxy S4 in the Indonesian market.
And starting Thursday, pre-orders already open. Read Samsung Galaxy S4 Can Ordered Today.
Yesterday (18/04), in Publico, Senopati, Jakarta, the features found on [...]
Sophisticated glasses, Google Glass will use the “Bone Conduction” to create the sound of the speakers wore traditional.
The workings of this technology is to send sound vibrations to the inner ear through the bones of men.
Quoted from the [...]
Seven planets in the Milky Way that have environmental conditions similar to Earth.
Search for life in outer space does not seem to need to reach planets beyond our galaxy, the Milky Way. Seven planets in the Milky Way has a huge potential to life after [...]
Beijijng / San Francisco – Mandiant, an information security services company from the United States accused China are responsible for some cases of hacking, conducted by a secret military unit.
Mandiant accused 61 398 units of the military Chinese [...]
Jakarta – SpeedUp launched “Pad 8″ tablet equipped with HD Display and SpeedUp Studio.
This tablet lets users enjoy more than 850,000 original music content both local and foreign artists.
“The tablet is different from our other [...]
Angry Birds Seasons seems to immediately have a theme and a new level in the near future.
The new version is expected to take the theme of spring.
Quoted from Ubergizmo, Monday (15/4), Angry Birds Seasons this will be the 16th series.
Rovio is often [...]


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Six companies listed their shares Friday as initial public offerings continue to churn out newly public companies.
Half of the group—biotechs
as well as
a provider of body contouring services—rose in their debut. The other half, which includes employee-screening firm
a dental-technology company, dropped below their IPO prices.
Roughly a dozen firms were expected to go public this week. Of the six IPOs that opened before Friday, the most well known—chip maker
(ticker: GFS) and
Rent the Runway
(RENT), the online fashion-rental company—were the only ones to have fallen below their offer prices. Rent the Runway stock declined 8% from its $23 offer price on Wednesday, while GlobalFoundries stock dropped 1.3% from its $47 IPO price.
Also on Thursday, shares of
On Wednesday, Informatica (INFA), the data-management company backed by the private-equity firm Permira, closed flat at its $29 offer price. And Arteris (AIP), a provider of chip technology, rose 17% after pricing its deal at $14 a share.
Airsculpt (AIRS) led the trio of winners Friday, with shares soaring more than 44% to $15.89 after opening at $12.84.
Late Thursday, Airsculpt raised $77 million after slashing the size and price of its deal. The company had filed to offer 10 million shares at $15 to $17, but chopped that to 7 million shares at $11 to $12. It ended up selling 7 million shares at $11, the bottom of its range.
Airsculpt says its body-sculpting service doesn’t involve needles, scalpels, stitches, or general anesthesia. The company instead uses lasers to soften unwanted fat cells, which it then removes.
Shares of Aura Biosciences (AURA) kicked off at $14.10 and ended at $14.80, up nearly 6% from its offer price.
Late Thursday, Aura Biosciences increased the size of its deal to 5.4 million shares from 5 million, selling the stock at $14, the bottom of its $14-to-$16 price range. The company is developing therapies that target cancer, with an initial focus on ocular and urologic oncology, a prospectus said.
Entrada’s (TRDA) stock rose nearly 20% to $23.95 after opening at $26.50. Entrada also boosted the size of its deal to about 9.1 million shares, which it sold at $20, the middle of its $19-to-$21 price range. Entrada is developing therapeutics to treat rare neuromuscular diseases, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy and myotonic dystrophy type 1, according to a prospectus.
HireRight’s (HRT) stock kicked off at $18 and ended at $17.25, off more than 9% from its offer price. This technically makes HireRight a broken deal. The lackluster debut came after HireRight collected $422 million. The company sold 22.2 million shares at $19 each, below its $21-to-$24 price range.
HireRight provides employee background screening, verification, identification, monitoring, and drug and health screening services for more than 40,000 customers. It screened more than 20 million job applicants, employees and contractors for its clients in 2020, the prospectus for the deal said.
Udemy (UDMY) unloaded 4.5 million shares at $29, raising $420.5 million. Udemy also dropped below its IPO price. Shares kicked off at $27 and closed at $27.50, off more than 5% from its offer price.
Founded in 2010, Udemy provides online courses in technology and business. More than 73 million users have registered with Udemy since the company’s founding, its prospectus said. Insight Partners, a private-equity firm, will own the biggest stake, 30.5%, after the IPO.
Sonendo (SONX) raised about $94 million after selling 7.8 million shares at $12 each, below its $15-to-$17 price range. The stock opened at $9 and ended at $9.20, down 23% from its offer price.
Sonendo is developing technology to treat tooth decay. Its GentleWave System debrides and disinfects deep regions of the complex root canal system in a less invasive procedure that preserves tooth structure, a prospectus said. The FDA has cleared GentleWave for use in root canals. General Atlantic, the PE firm, will own 12.4% after the IPO.
Write to Luisa Beltran at [email protected]


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Announcement of Booth at the 24th FINETECH JAPAN Exhibition
Taica will have a booth at the 24th FINETECH JAPAN exhibition which begins on April 16, 2014 at Tokyo Big Sight. Taica’s OPTαGEL® (OPT Alpha GEL) made from Taica’s shock absorbing αGEL® (Alpha GEL), will be on display at the exhibition. Taica looks forward to your attendance at this year’s FINETECH JAPAN.
1. Exhibit Details
|(1) Name:||24th FINETECH JAPAN Exhibition (http://www.ftj.jp)|
|(2) Dates:||April 16th (Wed.) – April 18th (Fri.)|
|(3) Place:||Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, JAPAN|
|(4) Booth Details:||East 6 Hall, Numbers 5-37|
αGEL® is shock absorbing and vibration damping material. An egg can be dropped from the 6th floor of a building (approximately 18m) on to a 2 cm thick sheet of αGEL® and land without cracking.
You can try to drop a raw egg on αGEL® sheet at our booth. It has been made famous from its appearance various television shows.
— Reference Information———————————————————-
【Outline of Taica Corporation】
|・President and COO:||Taito Suzuki|
|・Location:||2-18-10 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan|
|・Taica Corporation Established:||June 1, 2006 (Suzuki Shokai Established: October 1948)|
|・Paid-in Capital:||JPY 670 million|
○For Press Inquiries Contact: PR Section, Corporate Planning Office TAICA_PR@taica.co.jp
○For Consumer Inquiries Contact: αGEL Sales Dept. email@example.com


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You may never suspect this looking at the images accompanying this story, but this future Chevy, code-named the HHR, was not actually the handiwork of the man who drew the Chrysler PT Cruiser.
It's true that Bryan Nesbitt, who left Chrysler for General Motors in 2001, worked a bit on this 2006 truck/car/retro vehicle, but GM insists that its HHR, which stands for "heritage high roof," was already well under way by the time Mr. PT Cruiser came around.
The HHR wagon is expected to be based on the new Delta front-drive platform that underpins the Saturn Ion, although one GM official told Automotive News, "My guess is that it's much bigger than the PT Cruiser." It'll be powered by a four-cylinder DOHC motor making between 140 and 220 horsepower. GM has revealed very little about the five-door, five-seat vehicle but has said it anticipates selling 100,000 of them a year, that its main competition will be the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4, and it should run about $23,000.
GM says the HHR draws its design inspiration from the original Chevy Suburban of 1949 and the new Chevy SSR pickup/roadster. And then GM released a sketch of the HHR parked between those two vehicles to prove its point. Our spies captured better pictures of the HHR as they were projected behind GM North American president Gary Cowger's head at an industry conference. Take a look. You be the judge: Suburban or PT Cruiser?


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The reinsurance giant claims that the data provided by wearables could transform the industry -despite the privacy issues that still surround this technology.
“This has the potential to be a mini revolution when it comes to the way we underwrite for life insurance risk,” said Swiss Re managing director Neil Sprackling.
“If you’ve got a groundswell of people who are actively engaging with these wearable devices, through which health information is being provided willingly, there is a much more efficient, more customer-friendly way of allowing people to assess risk.”
A number of popular wearable products, such as Fitbit and Jawbone, have seen mass adoption in consumer markets in recent years. These devices can monitor heart rate, blood pressure, sleep patterns and take various other health measurements.
Swiss Re’s innovation manager Oliver Werneyer claimed failure to wear such a device could invalidate insurance policies in the not too distant future.
“No wearable device equals no health insurance,” he said. “This could be our reality in the next five to ten years. If you do not have a wearable device that tracks your health then you will find it nearly impossible to buy life insurance.”


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Connected has just released the latest version of its Connected Network Backup (CNB) software, which allows a person with an Internet connection to resurrect a system configuration dating back to the time the computer last worked.
CNB 4.0, which costs $140 for each machine and $6,000 for the server that stores the configuration information, is aimed at companies with lots of employees, said Mike Grandinetti, vice president of marketing at Connected. Cisco Systems, for example, has the system set up on 10,000 of its computers, he said. Other companies, including IBM and US West, repackage the software, he said.
The software runs automatically in the background, sending configuration and data file information in the background. To save time, the software only sends the actual file if it's not already on the server, and even then it updates only the parts of files that have been modified instead sending the entire thing, said Glen Gaudet, senior product marketing manager.
As long as the computer still has an operating system, the software can restore it, complete with data files, shortcuts, and other customizations. The software works on Windows 95, 98, and NT machines. Apple Macintoshes aren't in widespread enough use to make a business case for the software, said Gaudet.


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Just got this press release in my inbox, figured it was time to get a thread going. RSD Black Friday is Friday, November 24. Fleet Foxes have announced a special edition 10” EP available exclusively at independent record stores starting on Record Store Day's Black Friday, November 24. Those interested in purchasing a copy can find an independent record store near them by visiting recordstoreday.com. The EP features four songs, thoughtfully selected from a WFUV session recorded at New York's historic, Electric Lady Studios on June 13, 2017, days before Crack-Upwas relea


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The Fraud Reporting Exchange (FRX) is a digital platform used by member banks that allows "near real-time" reporting of fraudulent transactions that are either en route or already transferred to another bank.
The aim is to stop fraudulent transactions as they take place or freeze funds to return to customers as quickly as possible.
For Nina Merriless, the platform could have saved her thousands of dollars.
She was duped out of more than $11,000 when she received what seemed like an innocent message.
"Hi mum, my phone is broken. This is the new number you can save," the text read.
Merriless thought she was transferring money to her daughter overseas but three payments later, it turned out to be a scam.
"She rang me back on her old number and that's when I realised I had been scammed and felt absolutely sick," she told 9News.
Australian Banking CEO Anna Bligh said speed is essential when stopping criminals.
"Given every minute can be crucial in disrupting scams, the launch of the FRX is a major development," Bligh said.
"It means more and more scammers are going to hit a brick wall and adds to the arsenal of anti-scam initiatives underway.
"This new technology allows banks in almost real-time to track money."
There are 17 banks already on board with the platform or in the process of joining so they can work together to stop scams taking thousands of dollars from customers.
It's hoped the platform will reduce the burden on consumers by cutting the number of calls and emails to multiple financial institutions when money is lost.
"Can't we throw some friction through the system so payments aren't moving at that rapid speed and there's time to pause and check everything is valid?" Stephanie Tonkin from Consumer Action Law Centre said.
But it isn't just up to the banks to notice whether a scam has taken place, Bligh said it is important for customers to report fraudulent activity too.
"The sooner that banks know about a fraud, the sooner they can take swift action to try to halt the payment before it gets to the scammers," Bligh said.
The platform, owned and operated by the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange, will streamline the communication between Aussie banks to ensure the customer is getting their money back faster.
It comes as Australians lost $3.1 billion to scams last year which is an 80 per cent increase on the year before.
On average, people were scammed about $20,000 each.
How to avoid the latest tricks to dupe you this Black Friday
The government is also cracking down on scammers by launching a $58 million package to fund a National Anti-Scam Centre to launch offensive attacks on the criminal activity.
Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones said the anti-scam centre would have three key strategies, including the formation of units he described as "fusion cells" to "go after" criminals.
"This is about getting experts together across regulators, law enforcement, the finance sector, telecommunications and social media platforms, bringing their expertise together for a short-term action, a hit squad, to go after particular sorts of scams," he said.
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Xolo Makes A Comeback With The Black 1X
Photo Credit :
Indian mobile handset maker Lava Mobiles’ subsidiary brand Xolo bounced back in the Indian smartphone market when it announced its Black series earlier this year. Having high hopes to give a new life to the brand the first handset under the series was announced but it didn’t make any buzz. Today Xolo has announced a second smartphone under the new series called the Black 1X.
The smartphone has a unique looking design with glass panels on the front and back with leather accents on the top and bottom edges. Peculiar as it may sound, but the use of different materials could turn out well.
The smartphone features a 5-inch full HD (1920×1080) display with Dragon Trail Glass protection. On the inside there is a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6753 octa-core 64-bit processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage, which can be expanded up to 128GB using a microSD card. The smartphone is 4G enabled and has two SIM card slots and features a 2,400mAh battery. In the photo department there is a 13MP camera with an LED flash and phase detection auto-focus at the back and a 5MP camera on the front. The smartphone with run on Android 5.1 Lollipop with company’s own HIVE Atlas UI on top.
The Xolo Black 1X is priced at Rs. 9,999 which sounds competitive as at this price point smartphones like Yu Yureka, Lenovo K3 Note and even the Asus Zenfone Laser are not offering such high-end specifications. The handset will be available through a flash sale model on Snapdeal with the first sale happening on the 6th of November.


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By: Michael Liedtke, AP Business Writer
(AP) Internet giant Yahoo! Inc. is adopting a new system for indexing Web pages that will charge businesses to include more material currently unlisted in its online search engine, marking the first volley in a duel with its former ally Google Inc.
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo is touting the approach, scheduled to be announced Tuesday, as a practical way to assure its search engine captures more of the so-called “Deep Web” — the billions of pages that aren’t found during periodic crawls of the Internet.
The method, often called “paid inclusion,” also will help Yahoo’s search engine keep better tabs on the most current material on a Web page, company officials said.
More than 99% of Yahoo’s search index will consist of Web links that don’t pay fees, said Tim Cadogan, the company’s vice president of search.
Search engine analysts generally applauded Yahoo’s move, saying it could open a rich new vein of content that’s lacking from all Internet search engines.
But the fees required to participate in the program are likely to raise worries about Yahoo creating an online caste system dividing the haves and have nots of the Internet.
To ease those concerns, Yahoo isn’t charging nonprofit Web sites to add unlisted links to its search engine. The nonprofit sites initially participating in the new indexing system include National Public Radio and the Library of Congress.
While Yahoo’s index will continue to include Web sites that don’t pay the fees, there’s no guarantee on how frequently those destinations will be visited nor how extensively the content will be analyzed, Cadogan said.
The fees won’t buy Web sites a higher ranking in Yahoo’s noncommercial search results, Cadogan said.
The fees under Yahoo’s “Content Acquisition Program” will be based on the size of the participating Web sites, how many unlisted links are submitted and how frequently the links are clicked on by the users of Yahoo’s search engine.
Yahoo is counting on the program to give it an advantage over Google as it vies to supplant its rival as the Web’s most popular search engine. Yahoo licensed Google’s search engine for more than 3 1/2 years, but started to cut ties with its former partner two weeks ago, vowing to introduce better ways to explore the Web.
Mountain View, Calif.-based Google has built the Web’s largest search engine index, spanning 4.28 billion pages without charging fees to be included. Yahoo says its index contains “several billion” Web pages, but won’t provide specifics.
In an interview Monday, Google co-founder Larry Page called Yahoo’s new system “a pretty bad thing to do. There are plenty of profits to go around in search engines to find ways to improve the user experience without charging fees to do it.”
Like Google and other major search engines, Yahoo has long been using its search results page to display text-based ads that are tied to search requests. But these advertising listings are labeled as “sponsored results” and separated from the results generated through algorithmic formulas that are designed to provide an objective analysis.
Yahoo’s new system runs the risk of blurring the lines between the advertising and editorial sides of its search engine, said Chris Sherman, editor of Search Day, a newsletter published by SearchEngineWatch. “There’s definitely going to be a gray area,” Sherman said.
Forrester Research analyst Charlene Li said the distinctions might not matter to many Web surfers. “Most people don’t care whether something (in a search engine) is paid for or not. They just care whether it’s relevant. This could be an instance where people go to Google when they are looking for general information and go to Yahoo when they are shopping for something.”
News of Yahoo’s system rankled Gary Ruskin, executive director of Commercial Alert, a consumer group that that has criticized search engines for co-mingling their advertising and editorial results.
“The bottom line is that this is just going to be another way for businesses and the wealthy to buy search engine results so they get the material they want in front of the eyes of search engine users,” Ruskin said.


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The Swiss company Bread Wallet has announced that their app makes the purchase of Bitcoin can be made using credit cards.
At that time, as the American banks “put a spoke in the wheel” to investors, Bread Wallet offers a unique environment. Using this service, which is the result of collaboration with Simplex, investors may not use the services of cryptocurrency exchanges.
Meanwhile, as the purchase via Bitcoin cryptocurrency exchange is a long and cumbersome process, the Bread purse offers investors a unique service:
Shipping Bitcoin in the same dendrinou purchase limit of $20,000 and a monthly limit of $50,000 Authorization of the user is in the app Bread, eliminating the need to “juggle” devices and copy / paste multiple number of addresses
Perhaps the main feature of the wallet Bread — a decentralized approach. Secret keys fall straight into the hands of consumers, bypassing the intermediaries. At cryptocurrency exchanges, things are different: if the buyer does not own wallet, the Bitcoin is automatically saved to the wallet of the exchange, which, as demonstrated by the hacker attack on Coincheck, very risky.
Bread Wallet — a bitcoin wallet that was created in 2013. The app works on both iOS and Android devices.
Given the fluctuations in the value of cryptocurrencies, in Bread you know that when buying Bitcoin one of the main conditions for investors is the prompt.
As noted on Twitter, these innovations help to pull Bitcoin out of the “depression”.


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The organisation will present its latest research findings at the Driving Dairy Innovation meeting in Amsterdam
FHI principal investigators and staff will present their latest research findings at the pre-HiE Europe meeting, Driving Dairy Innovation, in Amsterdam
Food for Health Ireland (FHI) is advancing innovation in health and nutrition with its scientific research into milk-derived functional ingredients for every life stage. The consortium’s research programme now spans infant nutrition to healthy ageing, including the areas of glycaemic management, appetite modulation and performance nutrition.
Following successful trials, FHI has also developed its first new ingredients ready for commercialisation by its industry partners, including a product for healthy active ageing.
Healthy ageing is one of FHI’s key research platforms, in particular age-related muscle loss or sarcopenia which affects approximately 30% of over 60s. FHI researchers studied the potential to increase lean tissue mass in healthy men and women with a nutrition solution. The result of this research is the development of a milk protein-based supplement fortified with calcium and vitamin D for healthy active ageing.
Studies of healthy men and women aged 50 to 70 demonstrate that consumption of 0.33g per kg bodyweight of this protein supplement (~22g) per day for 24 weeks significantly increases lean tissue mass and significantly improves femoral bone mineral density.
'Our scientific programme is driven by market insights and industry needs to explore the nutritional benefits that novel milk components can offer at different stages of life,' said Jens Bleiel, Chief Executive of FHI.
'By focusing on specific target health areas, we will be able to close the gap between initial predictions and commercially-feasible opportunities to develop new food or beverage products that support a healthy lifestyle.'
FHI principal Investigators and staff will present their latest findings at the pre-Hi Europe meeting, Driving Dairy Innovation, in Amsterdam, this week. Dr Brendan Egan, FHI UCD will discuss the role of dairy proteins in muscle health and ways to optimise formulations of sports and lifestyle nutrition dairy products to meet changing consumer demands. The technical challenges and opportunities of working with proteins will be explained by Professor Dolores O’Riordan, FHI UCD and Bleiel will present FHI’s learnings in dairy innovation. In addition, Dr Eugene Dillon, FHI UCD will talk about decoding proteins in functional food ingredients.
Representatives of FHI will be on stand J60 at HiE.


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Revealed: Where can you find the cheapest real Christmas tree in Dublin
Nobody is enjoying the festive season more than Christmas tree growers and sellers, with some customers paying up to €120 for a festive fir.
Independent.ie surveyed a number of retailers across the capital, whose prices ranged from €30 for a three-foot tiddler to more than a €100 for a 10-footer.
While it has been a tough few years for Christmas tree sellers, the business is now worth an estimated €21m to the Irish economy, according to a survey carried out on behalf of the Irish Christmas Tree Growers Association.
It says the smaller, three-foot trees are most popular with apartment dwellers while families usually go for the bigger ones.
It is a competitive market, with Swedish giant Ikea selling trees for €30 with a €20 voucher to spend in store.
However, just down the road, Glasnevin brothers Phillip and Hugh Bannon, who source their trees from a forest in Wicklow, said business is flying. Their prices start at €35 for a three-footer.
Phillip and Hugh, who enjoyed a "mad weekend" trade-wise, were the cheapest surveyed by the Herald when it came to 10ft trees, priced at €70.
Phillip said their location between Glasnevin and Ballymun means they "have to be as competitive and balanced as possible".
"Business is really affected by the weather, but this year has been great and it has been an absolutely mad weekend," he said.
Across the city in Sandymount, the YMCA has partnered with the Step Youth Programme to help raise funds for projects by selling trees.
Theirs are priced at €10 a foot, so people looking for a big tree in Sandymount will be paying that bit more than on the north side of the city.
However, Matthew Sweeney (34) said that "100pc of profits go to the fundraising campaign and into our youth projects in the inner city".
The Step Youth Programme is a back-to-education scheme that gives people a second chance to progress to further education and gain employment.
"Every year the venture grows to new levels as we are able to analyse the different types of trees people need in the area," said Matthew.
Dean Hand (21), from Bally- fermot, is one of the many youngsters benefiting from the Step Youth Programme.
"It's a great thing for me to do," he said.
Christy Kavanagh grows his trees in the Wicklow Mountains and sells them from Leopardstown Racecourse in South Dublin and Kilruddery House, Wicklow. "Sales are going up and up," he said.
A 10-foot Christmas tree from Christy will cost €120, but he said: "The price will reflect different parts of the country."
He also said it would be "no problem" selling his trees abroad because Irish trees are in huge demand all over the Continent.
At The Yard Florist in Clontarf, trees are flying out of the shop with prices starting at €35 and going up to €85 for a 10 to 12-foot tree.
Harry Shuttle (20) said they have sold 90 trees in the past week.
Up the road in Killester on the Howth Road, the Dublin Christmas Tree Depot said business has "been quieter in recent years".
Nathan Warren (18) said "we sell trees from three feet to 10 feet and we've been so busy since we opened".
Harry Small (14) said: "I'm here helping out my parents and we really love this time of year."
James Jesson, from Jesson Landscaping, said the market "has become a lot more competitive this year, with quite a lot of trees being imported from Germany".


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Yeah… Not so much. Amazon denies rumors of a free video streaming service.
The interwebs were abuzz the other day when rumors of a new, and free, streaming service from Amazon hit the wire. The Wall Street Journal had reported that the Everything Store was planning to introduce an ad-supported video and music streaming service in the immediate future. The service was rumored to feature original series and licensed content, similar to “Betas,” a TV show produced for Amazon’s Prime video service last year.
The big sticking point in this rumor is exactly that – Amazon’s Prime Video service. Prime Video is a perk offered to Amazon Prime Members as part of their (now) $99 per year membership fee. How this rumored free service would live alongside Amazon Prime Video was not immediately available. However, the rumor surfaced ahead of a special Amazon media event where the purveyor of nearly everything available on the internet was expected to announce a set top box or streaming stick, capable of delivering web-based video content to your television set.
Amazon’s Sally Fouts, a spokesperson for the Everything Store, has since come out and denied the rumor. Says Fouts, “we’re often experimenting with new things, but we have no plans to offer a free streaming-media service.”
For me, a long-time Amazon Prime member, this is good news. One of the best perks of Prime membership, one that I use much more often than Prime’s free 2-day shipping, was its video streaming service. If that could be gotten for free, I was giving serious consideration to cancelling my Prime membership.
When I moved to Omaha to take a new job, I decided not to get cable TV service and decided to be a cord cutter. I stream video via Amazon Prime multiple times a week. If Amazon was going to offer a free streaming service, ad supported or not, it would have left a number of Prime members wondering what they were really getting for their membership fee.


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LatAm List – Amidst a campaign to restructure and improve operations in China, ridesharing company Didi Chuxing has its sights set on the Latin American market. After acquiring 99 in Brazil last year and expanding into Mexico, Didi claims to be ready to compete hard with Uber across all Latin American markets.
Within 2018, Didi launched its services in Brazil, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. This year, Didi plans to reach Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina. Brazil and Mexico are among Didi’s fastest growing markets, with Brazil registering more than a million daily trips on the app.
Didi is also looking into developing food delivery, bicycle rental, and payments solutions in the region. For example, in Brazil, Didi works with local fintech company, Hub Fintech, to provide drivers with credit cards to reduce the risk of robbery.
“We believe that ‘no cash payment’ is a solution for the future of Latin America, and we hope to be part of it,” said one of Didi’s employees.
Read more in the press release from Tencent.


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Trump said he doesn't see a recession after the bond market spooked investors and the Dow suffered its worst day of the year last week.Marketsread more
Americans now say they approve of free trade by 64%-27%, a margin of better than two to one. That's up from 57%-37% early in Trump's presidency, and 51%-41% near the end of...Politicsread more
Trump said Cook made a "good case" that it would be difficult for Apple to pay tariffs, when Samsung does not face the same hurdle because much of its manufacturing is in...Technologyread more
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note briefly fell below the 2-year rate on Wednesday, a phenomenon in the bond market known as yield curve inversion, which is...Marketsread more
"I don't want to do business at all because it is a national security threat," Trump told reporters.Technologyread more
Despite aggressive strides, Waymo needs one thing before their self-driving cars become a seriously useful transportation system: people. We talked to the ones closest to it.Technologyread more
Trump's is due to visit Copenhagen early next month, when the Arctic will be on the agenda in meetings.World Politicsread more
The MacBook Pro recall and its subsequent ban from flights underscores the increasing brand risk from problems with lithium-ion batteries.Technologyread more
Experts say the timing of Amazon executives' contributions to Rep. David Cicilline likely reflect the company's heightened urgency over growing regulatory scrutiny.Technologyread more
CNBC combed through Wall Street research to see which stocks are still a buy after their earnings reports.Marketsread more
Coinbase security chief Philip Martin explains, "Possession of a key is possession of your currency. What that means is that you can't revoke a cryptocurrency key, if that key...Technologyread more
The ongoing trade war with China could cost the average American family hundreds of dollars.
It all depends on how extreme the White House gets with protectionist policies. But Oxford Economics laid out various scenarios that, at the high end, could cost U.S. households as much as $800.
On the lower end, if the 25% tariffs that went into effect Friday are permanent and China retaliates, the U.S. economy could lose $62 billion in economic output by next year, according to Oxford Economics. That total translates to an equivalent loss of $490 per American household.
In a more extreme example, the firm considered the administration imposing 25% tariffs on all imports from China — not just the current $200 billion. Should China retaliate, Oxford Economics estimates that the U.S. economy would be about $100 billion smaller by 2020. That would translate to an $800 cost per household.
"While negotiations are ongoing, and the possibility of a deal remains significant, a further escalation of trade tensions would have dire consequences for both protagonists and the rest of the world," Gregory Daco, Oxford Economics chief U.S. economist, said in a note to clients Friday.
Stocks extended a week-long sell-off Friday after President Donald Trump said there's "absolutely no need to rush" on a trade agreement. He also said tariffs will make the United States "much stronger." Major averages fell near their lows of the day after Chinese Vice Premier Liu He left the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said China trade talks are done for week but were "constructive."
The job market could also take a hit thanks to trade turmoil. The current tariff rise could result in 200,000 fewer jobs, with growth falling below 2% in early 2020, according to Oxford Economics. The more extreme scenario with tariffs on all imports, and Chinese retaliation, would lead to 360,000 fewer jobs being created.
In a CNBC interview Friday morning, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said while the average American might not care about the Dow's triple-digit losses, they do pay attention to the job market.
"They're not thinking about the stock market every day," Scott told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Friday. "Look at this job market — that's what people are thinking about."
Low unemployment and a strong economy have been a strong point for the Trump administration heading into a 2020 election. In April, the unemployment rate hit its lowest level in 50 years. In the first quarter, gross domestic product increased 3.2%, far exceeding analysts' expectations. Productivity during the quarter saw its biggest gain in five years.
"The average person says: Do I have a job, and are my wages going up? That's what they care about," Scott said. "We'd all like the stock market to go up every day, but reality is, for the typical American, they want a good job."
— CNBC's Yun Li contributed reporting.


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Renewing public transport with environmentally friendly buses, the Aktau city authorities are seriously concerned about the switch to “green technologies”.
Social and Entrepreneurial Corporation “Kaspiy” in cooperation with Akimat and SaryarkaAvtoProm LLP are studying the issue on the launch of car sharing service (possibility to rent a car for a short term) with fleet consisting exclusively of electric cars.
Currently the national auto manufacturer SaryarkaAvtoProm LLP has handed over two JAC iEV7s electric crossovers for test operation to Social and Entrepreneurial Corporation “Kaspiy”. Along with this, the first fast chargers for electric cars, developed in CSUTE after S. Yessenov (Yessenov University), have already appeared in Aktau. The university has purchased two electric cars for student researches, and it shall actively help Akimat of Aktau in terms of mastering new technology – electrobuses, gradually training specialists for servicing electric cars and electrobuses and for the development of components for them and for the recharging stations.


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Most of us are all to familiar with the WMCFW (World MasterCard Fashion Week) where over 35 designers showcase their designs for the upcoming Fall season. It’s a sought after event and designers spend a lot of dollars and time creating their most perfect collection yet. However, there is another set of fashion shows that are becoming more and more exclusive and enable Canadian Internationally praised designers to show their upcoming Fall collections, at home. This year, the event took place at the illustrious STORY’s Building March 11th-12th, 2014 in downtown Toronto.
This year marked the shOws 7th season and featured designers Steven Tai, Antonio Azzuolo, Bellavance and Kaelan as well as sponsors CoverGirl and Pantene. Well attended by media and buyers each designer showed their Fall 2014 collection in a runway format.
View the Vibe caught all the shows on camera and spoke to the shOws founder Paola Fullerton about why she initiated this event. Check out the roundup of our favourite looks, exclusive interview with each designer and why you should definitely take note of these four Internationally acclaimed Canadian designers.
If you checked out the shOws let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.


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We've heard it mentioned countless times during 2021: Revenge travel.' But what, exactly, is it? It sounds like a term that one would describe in the same way they might describe getting back at an ex-partner but in reality, it's used to describe the world of travel following the pandemic. The idea behind revenge travel is, in a sense, for people to take vengeance against the time they've lost during a long span of time when they weren't able to or were not permitted, to go on vacations. And now, it seems like the trend is coming back twice as hard for travel during the summer of 2022 - here's why.
What Is Revenge Travel, And Why Is It Coming Back?
The world underwent a massive change back in March 2020. It would not be dramatic to say that everyone - avid travelers, included - had a new lease on life and a new appreciation for what they could do prior to the pandemic. When certain aspects of a person's freedom are lost, such as the ability to travel on a whim, the dichotomy behind why, when, and where we go begins to change. This is exactly what happened when the airports shut down, hotels were closed, and streets were emptied - thus, the anticipation, anxiety, and waiting began. For well over a year, people canceled travel plans or put them on hold in the hopes that the postponement would be temporary. Unfortunately, for many, it was not. Thus, the rise of revenge travel - AKA, taking revenge against the pandemic that affected every traveler's life so unexpectedly in the first place.
According to Money Control, travelers underwent a type of 'lockdown fatigue.' It's said that this type of mental fatigue is only exacerbated by the monotony of being stuck at home or going through the same motions repeatedly. After more than a year of mundane routines that involved little more than leaving the house for groceries, it was only to be expected that a release of sorts was coming. The effect - or, rather, the consequence - of this, was revenge travel. In an attempt to gain back lost time that was taken during the pandemic, many people booked trips, flights, and bucket-list destinations as soon as the world began reopening. While this did lead to a spike in cases, one important aspect of revenge to remember is this: vengeance, even in travel, often overshadows all other worries or fears.
Revenge Travel Might Just Be Here To Stay
With that being said, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for revenge travel to remain a valid reason for planning a vacation. Think about it - the entire world was shut down, and that's a lot of people, which means a lot of desperation when it comes to taking that ultimate bucket-list trip. Therefore, it might take years before the world finally sees the end of people needing to replace the time that they've lost with a trip that's twice the size, and twice the extravagance, of the original. Already, according to MarketWatch, there are 1.5 billion more passengers flying internationally this year as opposed to in 2021.
While this statistic does include work and business travel, it's still an astounding number compared to the low statistics that came from airports immediately following the first few waves of the pandemic.
It's estimated, based on this same data, that upcoming trips include:
- Short-Haul Trips: Roughly 1,200 miles from one's home
- Medium-Haul Trips: Up to 2,600 miles away from one's home
Why Has There Been An Increase in Revenge Travel Spending?
Despite the fact that the cost of living has increased in most places, according to MarketWatch, it has not seemed to slow down travelers' ability to spend money while on vacation. In fact, studies are showing that travelers are spending about 34% more on activities and souvenirs when they travel. Additionally, more than half of all 'revenge' travelers following the pandemic have booked vacations to places they have never been before - meaning that new destinations and bucket-list destinations are topping the list. Interestingly enough, not every trip is international, with many people just wanting to visit a new place, in general.
What does Revenge Travel Mean For Future Tourism?
The angst that travelers have experienced while planning a revenge travel trip is one that will likely continue for some time. As a result of this, it can be hypothesized that the tourism industry will continue to grow and reflect this overall increase in traveling to make up for the lost time. As a result, many destinations will likely see an increase in tourism, as well - both domestically and internationally - as people continue to find new and unique places to seek their 'revenge.'


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Next to the more or less daily scams mentioned in the previous post, we’re seeing a resurgence in another scamming tactic.
Over the last couple of weeks more people are reporting charges of $9.95 to their credit cards – for no reason whatsoever.
About a year ago we saw a similar trend and now it has been picked up again.
The scammers hope that because the amount of money is so small, the charge will go unnoticed. They’re also using names which closely resemble real company names to make the charges look (at first glance) more legitimate.
So be sure to check your accounts for odd charges on a regular basis.


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Three days into the job, Target Corp.'s first outsider CEO has already shown how different he is simply by being seen.
Brian Cornell appeared before thousands of employees in a town hall-style meeting on Wednesday and spoke to hundreds of the company's suppliers Thursday. He then flew to Canada for a firsthand look at the business unit that, for the moment, is Target's biggest challenge.
On Thursday, Cornell sat down for his first interview since starting work and told the Star Tribune that he is humbled to lead such an "iconic brand."
"I'm absolutely convinced that the best for Target is yet to come," Cornell said over iced tea at a downtown restaurant.
With the job, Cornell, 55, becomes one of the most important executives in American retailing and, in the state of Minnesota, caretaker of a company whose roots go back 112 years to the original Dayton's department store in downtown Minneapolis. The company today is the fourth-largest retailer in the United States and third-biggest company in the state by revenue after Cargill and UnitedHealth Group.
Target's recent leaders, nonetheless, have kept a relatively low public profile. Cornell's immediate predecessor, the ousted Gregg Steinhafel, gave few interviews and sent a deputy to defend the company in Washington after a big data breach last year.
To be sure, as the first person to lead Target who didn't spend his or her career at the firm, Cornell has many introductions to make. Already, he has met hundreds of Target employees in the halls of its downtown headquarters. He's also been fielding calls from prominent executives in town and some of the state's political leaders.
"Clearly, I know I'm going to need to be very visible and engaged here in Minneapolis," he said, noting he's already built some familiarity with the region by serving on the board of Plymouth-based Polaris Industries Inc. "I've known many of the other CEOs for many, many years and I'm really looking forward to being a part of this community."
He is taking the lead of Target after it dismissed a CEO for the first time and is trying to regain sales and profit momentum after stumbling with an expansion in Canada last year and experiencing a highly-publicized data breach.
Crafting a rebound won't be easy. While the Great Recession technically ended a few years ago, consumers are still wary of parting with their dollars. That has been hurting in the bottom line of not just Target, but also Wal-Mart and other big box stores.
But Cornell is optimistic about the future. One of the company's best assets is the deep connection many customers feel for the brand, he said. "The love that guests express when they talk about Target is really unique in retail," he said. "So I think we've got to leverage that."
It's a passion shared by his children. Cornell said his 25-year-old son, Jonathan, called him up weeks ago and asked him if he had been contacted about the CEO vacancy at Target. Cornell said he had not.
"He was like, 'Well, this is a great job. This is a great company. How do you figure out a way to apply for this job?' " Cornell said.
Soon after, Target called Cornell.
Upon starting work on Tuesday, Cornell said he didn't want employees to have to lean on Google searches to find out what he is all about.
So on Wednesday, Target booked a hall at the Minneapolis Convention Center where nearly 10,000 employees gathered to hear him speak. Following some introductory remarks, he fielded questions for about a half-hour. Many of the questioners tried to glean Cornell's vision for Target's future and, more concretely, what areas of the store most interested him.
"Everyone was looking for, 'Here is the Brian list,' " he said.
Given his background as a former executive of PepsiCo, Sam's Club and Safeway, many wondered if food might be given a bigger stage.
No, he told them. "I'm not going to turn Target into a grocery store," he recalled saying later. "Style, fashion, apparel, it's core to the DNA of this company."
And ultimately, he said, Target's customers will have the biggest say in charting out the retailer's future.
"It is an important lesson that I learned early in my career is that my vote shouldn't count," he said. "The votes that really count are the consumers'."
While everyone wants to know what his plan is for Target, he said it's too early to have any big answers and expects to say more early next year.
"I wouldn't expect any changes in the next few months," Cornell said. "I'm going to take my time to learn, to be really thoughtful. I'm going to spend a lot of time listening … I'm going to be a really good student over the next few months."
He said the company's interim leadership team moved in the right direction. And Cornell said he doesn't want to interfere with the team's focus on the upcoming all-important holiday season. As well, he said, "Going forward for Target, mobile has to be the front door to the brand."
He said he plans to travel to as many markets as he can get to — probably a different one every week — and more employee meetings with smaller groups.
This week, his wife, Martha, has been scouring the Minneapolis area for their new home. They'll narrow down the list next week, he said. The couple is also keeping their Connecticut home as a getaway.
An avid sports fan, Cornell is also looking forward to being able to walk from his office to games at Target Field and Target Center. And he expects to take in some Vikings games, too.
He remains a die-hard loyalist to the sports teams of his alma mater, UCLA. He noted that he has already discovered other fellow Bruins at Target, who e-mailed him to share their allegiance.
Before he caught a plane to Canada, Cornell swung by Target's two-story store on Nicollet Mall, right next to headquarters.
He chatted with Murray Williams, the store manager there who has come to know Target's previous CEOs on a first-name basis. Williams sent Cornell an e-mail as soon as his appointment was announced and offered to show him around the store. Thursday, he just got a quick tour.
"But we have another date next week," Williams said.
Kavita Kumar • 612-673-4113


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A four-day trade show, titled 'Thailand Week 2016', began here on Wednesday, aiming to help expand trade relations between the two countries.
A colourful Thai cultural show was held at the inaugural session of the fair.
The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Ministry of Commerce, Thailand and Royal Thai Embassy in Dhaka are jointly hosting the event in two phases.
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed inaugurated the event as the chief guest at the International Convention City, Bashundhara in the city.
Charge d' Affaires at the Thai Embassy Phasit Chudabuddhi and Executive Director and Consul (Commercial) Suwimol Tilokruangchai also spoke at the inaugural session.
Trade days will consist of Business Matching sessions to be held until Thursday and on March 18 and 19 the exhibition will remain open to the public.
This event is an effort of the Royal Thai government to expand the opportunities to the business communities of both countries which will consequently strengthen the economical ties, said the organisers.


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The Black Equity Organisation (BEO) and Sky Group put budding entrepreneurs through their paces as they hosted a Dragon’s Den-style pitch day where founders from the F100 Growth fund presented their business idea and proposals to a funding panel in a bid to secure up to £15,000 investment in their projects.
The F100 Growth Fund is the £1m partnership between BEO and SKY, set up to back Black British entrepreneurs and help them launch and grow their businesses with access to supply chain workshops and mentoring support.
The Demo Day was the last step of the programme for 20 founders who have spent the last 12 weeks participating in a series of online and in-person workshops helping them hone their business plans, ambitions and providing opportunities to learn from industry experts, Sky executives and mentors. The mentoring relationships will continue until the end of March 2023.
The finalists, chosen from over 500 applicants pitched to the F100 Growth Fund review panel and other investors. In addition to the presentation, the day also included a fireside chat and keynote with angel and venture investors as well as an opportunity to network.
Following last week’s event, we are pleased to announce the following businesses have received funding:
BEO’s interim CEO and Director of Programmes & Partnerships, Timi Okuwa, said: “It’s great to celebrate the successes of our first cohort of Black British founders who have received funding. They are to be congratulated, we wish them well on the next stage of their business journey and look forward to seeing how they grow in the coming years. This partnership with Sky Group is a fantastic example of how corporate business can provide opportunities for Black entrepreneurs and businesses to engage in their procurement processes. We are excited to announce that we’ll be looking for our second cohort of businesses in mid 2023, so keep your eyes peeled for more information. I would also like to thank Allen and Overy for the programme legal support and WPP for the use of their space for workshops and the F100 SG for their ongoing guidance and support.”
David Carrigan, Group Director of Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing, Sky, said: We’re delighted to congratulate the first cohort of winners of the F100 Growth Fund. This year’s winners demonstrated a unique commitment to driving economic growth in and around their communities, and we look forward to seeing how these companies continue to realise success. We’re proud to work with the BEO to spotlight, celebrate, and support the UK’s Black-owned businesses. At a time when Black-owned businesses still face barriers to accessing capital and resources, we are proud to be supporting the creation of economic wealth in the Black community, and to create opportunities for Black entrepreneurs to contribute to a rich and diverse SME business economy.”
Driving economic empowerment and equity of opportunity for Black people and businesses is one of six key areas of focus for BEO. Research has highlighted that in the 10 years between 2009-19, only 0.24% of the total invested in UK start-ups from venture capital funding went to Black entrepreneurs. Just 0.02% went to Black female entrepreneurs.


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FedEx-backed Freightos, a digital platform for global freight-booking services, is set to go public through a merger with special purpose acquisition company Gesher I Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ: GIAC). The agreement will result in Freightos becoming public under the ticker symbol FROS.
Amid the agreement, Freightos has secured USD80 Million in capital commitments as it strives to further grow the business and improve margins. According to a statement by Freightos, the combined entity, to be known as Freightos, will hold a pro forma enterprise value of about USD435 Million.
“Global freight moves the world,” says Zvi Schreiber, Chief Executive Officer, Freightos Group. “Last year, $22 trillion worth of goods crossed borders, but we have all witnessed what happens when shipping doesn’t run smoothly, creating inventory shortages and increasing prices that challenge businesses and consumers globally. This presents a massive opportunity to digitize one of the last large offline industries.”
“Our combination with Gesher and access to public markets will allow Freightos to continue to aggressively scale our platform and lead as an international freight booking and payment tool of choice. This day represents new opportunities for the Freightos team around the world, whose diligence and dedication has made Freightos what it is today.”
The board of directors will include FedEx Logistics CEO Udo Lange and Guillaume Halleux, the chief cargo officer of Qatar Airways.


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By Juliet Awino
The prices of tissue papers have spiked in the last three months as citizens face shock with the double price increase in various brands of tissue.
Most tissue brands that were going for ksh.20 are now ksh.45 while others are as high as ksh.60.
Kenyas have taken to social media to complain and seek an explanation for the rise in prices of tissue paper.
The head of toilet paper sub sector at the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), Mureithi Regeru said that the prices of raw materials ysed in the production of tissue papers have gone up.
“We import most of the raw materials from Egypt. The producing nation has since increased the per unit cost by 50 per cent, compared to the prices in early 2022. The weakening of the Kenyan shilling against the US Dollar has also affected the foreign exchange rate. Today, the dollar trades at around Sh117. In January, it was trading at Sh113. That affects our ability to bargain in the foreign market,” Regeru told The Standard.
Regeru also said that the prices of tissue paper have been influenced by the high prices of polythene bags used for packaging and the high prices of fuel used I transportaion during distribution.
As Kenyans still feel the pain of increase in prices of major food prices and cooking gas, they look forward to lower prices.


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A few college buddies led Andrew Hoit to the tire industry, but the challenging work has been what’s kept him in the business for 24 years.
Milestar Tires, a brand of Tireco, has launched its newest generation MS932 XP+ ultra high-performance all-season tire for sports cars and premium sedans.
Tireco, the exclusive U.S. distributor of Westlake passenger and light truck tires, has made its first foray into sports marketing.
Milestar has announced that its flagship off-road tire, the Patagonia M/T, is being expanded to F-Load Range sizes.
Tireco’s Milestar brand has rolled out six new Steelpro MS597S fitments designed for the commercial van segment.
Tireco Inc. is recalling 3,793 Milestar brand medium truck tires. Due to the potential of cracks in the lower sidewall, Tireco is recalling certain Milestar BS623 premium all-position tires, size 225/70R19.5, and Milestar BD733 regional open shoulder drive tires, size 225/70R19.5, manufactured between June 9 and Sept. 28, 2014. According to the tire marketer, tires


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Being unemployed is rarely a pleasant experience, but it is particularly hard in recession years. Good news are in a depressingly short supply these days, and maintaining a positive attitude is difficult if you are among the thousands looking for work now. Even when you find and apply for jobs that fit your skills and background, your applications seem to vanish without generating a single response (let alone getting you job interviews).
Yet while the recovery ahead of us may be long and plagued with uncertainties, GTA’s January’s job market reports produced by the Vicinity Jobs Network indicate that the market may have just turned the corner.
To be sure, Ontario’s job market is still in a rough shape, with a disappointingly low number of new job openings. But comparison with previous years indicates that the initial shock may be behind us, and there are even very early signs that the situation may have stabilized.
Before drawing significant conclusions, it is important to understand exactly what has been happening on the employment market. The Vicinity Jobs Hiring Index reports are a good place to start, as they analyze job postings from all major online job boards and employers’ web sites, and provide a good indication of the employers’ mood. While they currently only look at York Region’s employment market, it is reasonable to assume that the same trends apply across the Greater Toronto region.
What happened on the job market?
At first glance, the picture the reports paint looks unsurprising (see the graph below): In comparison to previous years, GTA’s job market remained stable until about May 2008, then a decline began. In November (shortly after the stock market collapse), the number of new job postings suddenly plummeted to about 60% of November 2007’s numbers. December was even worse, with 55% of the job posting numbers from a year ago.
But January’s data came in at a surprising 62% of the levels from January 2008 and even 2007 (the numbers from both years were very close). And, on a week-by-week basis, in the last week of this January, the number of new postings climbed back to 78% of the levels from the last week of January 2008. And while one month’s data does not provide enough information to draw significant conclusions, the numbers give us a reason for cautious optimism.
You think that there is no way the downturn will be that short? Well, it actually wasn’t.
In some industries, the slowdown started long time ago
A closer look at the data reveals that certain key job types and industries had been declining long before November 2008. The market for professional services jobs was among the first to see a weakening as early as the Fall of 2007, only weeks after the first cracks appeared in the financial markets. Manufacturing jobs remained relatively stable until the spring of 2008, but started declining then.
What kept the overall job figures looking OK was a remarkable resilience in the retail and services sectors: Jobs in these industries did not see a significant decline until November 2008. (I guess someone had forgotten to tell consumers that the economy was in a bad shape, so until November, they kept spending – and retailers kept hiring – while most businesses were cutting cost.)
So while, on the surface, the overall situation only turned ugly late in 2008, the downturn in the professional services and manufacturing sectors had started a lot earlier. The strength of retail and services sectors was masking a severe hiring downturn on the market for higher-value-added jobs.
Don’t hold your breadth quite yet
There are reasons to be cautious too, however. A closer look at the January data indicates that even if a recovery did start, its impact is again not distributed evenly between industries (see the diagrams below). This January, postings for jobs in the retail trade industry accounted for 23% of the total, compared to 21% a year ago, while the professional services industry accounted for only 9% of all job postings this January, compared to 14% a year ago and as much as 19% in January of 2007.
The strength of the retail sector jobs looks somewhat surprising, given recent news of bankruptcies and layoffs in the industry. However, it may indicate that Canadian retailers are in a better shape than originally thought. If Canadians are starting to spend more, then a recovery (or at least stabilization) of the economy – and the job market – may be boosted by consumer spending (and not by business investment). It remains to be seen whether this will last though: Consumers may well change their attitudes if the weakness of the World economy results in more job cuts in
Last but not least,
What does all this mean to you if you are unemployed?
If you are looking for work outside of the retail and services industry, the hiring situation in your field had gone bad long before last November: The news did not hit
The situation may not be improving yet, but it seems that it has at last stopped deteriorating. We need to collect data for another couple of months to confirm whether the trend has (or hasn’t) actually turned.
Even if it has, however, finding a job is likely to remain a difficult task for a while, because the massive downsizing that many employers undertook recently (and some continue to undertake) means that there are more job seekers competing for each job opening. Besides, the number of new postings is still far from where it was a year ago. But there seem to be some (however bleak) light coming from the end of the tunnel. (Look for an update on the situation in this blog in March)


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Bozi Tatarevis (@hoonable) recently posted information based on a California Air Resources Board (more commonly know as CARB) release related to its certificate for the Tesla Model Y. What does this mean?
Well, it could mean that Tesla is set to produce and deliver the Model Y way ahead of schedule. This information could also be seen as one of the many reasons Tesla stock is soaring. In addition, when considering the Silicon Valley automaker's past, if it all plays out, this could be seen as a major achievement since Tesla has indefinitely been behind on its promises in the past, and especially those promises as stated by CEO Elon Musk.
So, can and will Tesla Model Y deliveries in the U.S. begin as soon as next month? It's really hard to say here. However, for the sake of comparison, Tesla signed the CARB certificate for the Model 3 Long Range on July 3, 2017. The first Model 3 sedans were delivered less than a month later, on July 28.
It's also important to note, the CARB certification data suggests the upcoming Model Y's range could hit some 309 miles, as opposed to Tesla's website, which shows just 280 miles of range. Keep in mind that all of this is just preliminary at the moment. When we learn more, we'll either update this post or write another.
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.


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Creat Studios have recently announced the release date of the upcoming RC racer Smash Cars, which is now scheduled to tear up the PSN on August 20th.
Smash Cars pits you up against a variety of RC toy car racers, with ample opportunity for performing stunts and fiddling with the various customisation options. The game will also feature online racing for up to 6 players – reception has been positive so far, so if all goes well it should make for some good clean fun.
Smash Cars will retail for $14.99 when it is unleashed next Thursday on August 20th. For a taster of what is to come, you can view a trailer after the break to see the game in action.


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Oktoberfest Program Ad Sales
There is good news to announce for those looking to advertise at the upcoming Oktoberfest at the Fountain because ad sales in the event’s program officially go on sale on August 1st!
Each year, Oktoberfest at the Fountain features a beautiful color, multi-paged, newspaper-style program, that gets included in the Fountain Hills Times the Wednesday before the event. In addition to getting delivered to homes and businesses around town, copies are also available for attendees to pick up at the event itself.
This is a great marketing opportunity for any business or organization that wants to be a part of the only traditional Bavarian-style Oktoberfest event, right here in Fountain Hills. The program will be delivered to nearly 4,000 local homes, as well as be present at the event.
Quarter, half, and full-page ads are available, and it is first-come, first-served. All ad sales are due September 10.
Full Page: $800
Half Page: $500
Quarter Page: $300


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The global cumulative installed capacity of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules will more than treble from 135.66 Gigawatts (GW) in 2013 to 413.98 GW by 2020, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData.
The company’s latest report* states that emerging economies in Asia-Pacific, South and Central America and the Middle East and Africa are expected to be the major markets in the future, due to an increasing focus on renewable energy proliferation to fuel economic growth.
Swati Singh, GlobalData’s Analyst covering Power, explains: “Asia-Pacific is home to many developing countries, including India and China, where substantial installations are being made. The region is also a leading area for solar energy systems production, with Japan, China and Taiwan being three of the largest solar PV cell manufacturers in the world.
“Governments in the region are promoting solar module manufacturing through various long-term policies, financial incentives, subsidies and tax benefits. This strong commitment to solar energy development has led to numerous research and development initiatives and increased solar module production and installations, which will drive future market growth.”
The analyst adds that Asian companies dominate the global PV device supplies market, with seven Chinese companies currently among the top module manufacturers worldwide.
Last year marked a turning point in the solar PV space, as China, India and Japan accounted for the majority of global annual installations. China’s growth was especially remarkable, contributing around 12 GW of the world’s 37-GW additions in 2013.
Singh explains: “Prior to 2013, most solar PV installations were in Europe, with Italy, Germany, Spain and France accounting for the majority of global annual installations in 2012.
“Reduced solar PV module prices, combined with European countries’ Feed-in Tariff (FiT) subsidies, have supported the widespread growth of small-scale distributed capacity there. However, GlobalData believes that these tariffs are likely to become less generous in subsequent years, with the reduction or removal of incentives having already been proposed and implemented in some of the region’s countries.”


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Used cars are supposed to go down in value. Last month, their value increased by more than 10 percent – something that has never happened before.
Supposedly because there is a shortage of new cars – because there is a shortage of semiconductor “chips,” the linchpin of all the electronics in new cars.
But what if it isn’t the “chips” but the electronics that are causing people to shy away from new cars in favor of less electronic used ones?
They have electronics too, of course – assuming they’re newer than the late 1970s, when cars began to transition from being mechanical things with the only electronic thing (other than the radio and lights, etc.) being the ignition system.
They beep and flash and generally pester less. Their engines stay on at red lights – and only shut off when you turn the key to off. Which you can get replaced at a hardware store for $5 rather than $150, at the dealer.
The farther back you go, the less likely the car is to have “advanced” driver “assistance” electronics, such as Lane Keep Assist and Automated Emergency Braking. While the car press gives the impression everyone just craves such “assistance,” I – a member of the car press – have never in my entire career had so many people tell me they loathe being parented by their cars.
And the only way to avoid that is to avoid new cars.
It is possible many are doing so for just that reason, and irrespective of any chip shortages. This could be the real reason for the surge in value of used cars – of which there is a finite supply.
There is more to this story, too – as regards the chips and the electronics they govern.
Particularly as regards cell phone-emulating all-digital gauge clusters and “infotainment” screens, which are becoming almost as common in new cars as air conditioning and power windows are in used cars. A lot of people don’t want to drive a cell phone, in part because they know that a $30,000 cell phone is just as disposable as their $35 Wal-Mart cell phone.
They are cluing in to the not-publicized-much fact that when one of these flat-screen gauge cluster/tablet-emulating LCD touchscreens goes dark, the owner’s wallet goes empty.
Depending on the make/model, a replacement gauge cluster/LCD touchscreen can cost as much as it used to cost to replace a transmission – and the cost to replace a new car’s transmission can cost as much as used car, itself.
A modern automatic transmission – which is the type of transmission almost all new cars come with exclusively – is also electronic. And so, disposable. You don’t fix a cell phone. Or a modern electronic automatic. You toss it.
Such tossing will become more common as cars become even more electronic, with even more chips embedded within every nook and cranny – which is already the case. The cost of it all to buy being a driving factor but another being the cost and difficulty of replacing it all, when that becomes necessary.
One size flatscreen does not fit all.
New cars are hyper-specialized cars, despite their look-alike cosmetics. Each one a specific individual, in terms of its electronics. These electronics having been specifically made for that specific example, often not interchangeable with the physically similar or even appearing-to-be-the-same components from other cars of the same general type.
In the past, cars were more universal.
Not only that, they would often fit other years – and even other models – because given makes of cars shared parts among different models.
Often, over a period of many years.
If you had a ’78 Chevy Camaro, almost every major functional part from any 1970-1981 Camaro would work. Many parts from Novas, Malibus – and even Corvettes – made during around the same era were also the same or close enough to be compatible. If you could bolt them on, they usually would work. There was no issue with chip compatibility; no having to program or “key” the new part to the car – as is very common with new cars.
Because those cars had no chips.
Another, related problem afflicting new cars is the shorter production life of almost all new cars. This is not the same as their service life – how long a given car will probably run before it begins to fall apart, as we do after a certain age (no matter how hard we work to stave off the inevitable).
It was once usual for a new car – one just brought to market as a new model – to remain largely the same model, in production, for at least five or six and sometimes as long as ten years before it was redesigned and became a different model.
It is now usual for a new car to become a very different car within three or four years – and sometimes, sooner. There are also updates within that shortened production life – once again, just like a cell phone. These updates are often specific to that particular model, which means when a new chip or the electronic part it’s married to needs to be replaced, you need that very specific chip/part, as no other will work.
Enough to deal with warranty-related problems but after that, the bins begin to empty and because these parts are often proprietary as well as highly make/model/year-specific, it’s both legally difficult as well as not very profitable for aftermarket companies to step in and make replacements.
Which is why it is getting difficult to keep the new car going when the chips are down, so to speak.
Which may explain why people are snapping up the used ones.
While the supply lasts.
. . .
Got a question about cars, Libertarian politics – or anything else? Click on the “ask Eric” link and send ’em in!
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Newly-developed ‘Cyruthane’ improves isolation and integrated cable management tidies clutter HUNTINGDON, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, June 24 – Cyrus is delighted to announce … More
Cyrus Audio, a high-end British Hi-Fi manufacturer with nearly four decades of design and manufacturing experience, has launched the second-generation soundBuds2 in-ear headphones. … More
Cyrus, the British manufacturer, known for their high-end engineering of hi-fi amplifiers, DACs, CD players, and streamers, has created a new online training platform named Cyrus Science Lab for their dealers worldwide.
Cyrus Audio has today announced the launch of a home trial programme for its ONE Series of products, including the … More


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Consumers may shop more during the holiday season and because of this increase in transactions it may put them at a higher risk for identity theft or fraud warns the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
“There are existing statutes that may require companies to provide reasonable security for sensitive information,” explained Jim Hegarty, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau. “It is important to shop at companies that keep your information secure, but it is also important to take precautions yourself.”
The BBB offers these tips to consumers on how to prevent fraud:
•Some mail can carry sensitive information that should be protected. It is important to install a lockable mailbox to prevent mail theft.
•Keep track of what credit cards you are using and which ones have become inactive. Be sure to close any credit card accounts that are no longer necessary.
•Be sure to check your account statements frequently, especially around the holidays when shopping increases. If there are any fraudulent charges deal with them immediately.
•Make sure to shred any bills or offers for pre-approved credit cards. •When closing a checking account, be sure to have all the checks destroyed.
Steps to take if you have experienced fraud:
•Contact local law enforcements and report the fraudulent activity and file a report.
•Contact you bank and financial companies to alert that fraud has taken place. Work with the company to reset new pin numbers and get new cards. Also, if a check has been alert the bank to stop accepting all checks.
•Keep a close watch on your account and be sure to quickly report any fraudulent activity. Make sure to follow up with the companies.
•Every so often check your credit report on annualcreditreport.com to monitor the activity and make sure that there are not any red flags.
Steps to take if you experience fraud with an online company:
•First, be aware what information was saved in your online profile with the company. If credit card information was saved in the profile, be sure to cancel your card and alert your bank for possible fraudulent activity.
•If the email saved in the profile is your main one, be especially on the lookout for scams and viruses that could be targeting you.
•If there was information included in your profile such as your social security number seek theft protection. Companies should not have asked for your social security number to begin with and contact the company to cover the costs of identity theft.
For more advice on finding reputable businesses around the holidays, visit bbb.org.


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Here's much-anticipated news to start your week: Singapore and Malaysia are launching a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) starting from November 29.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysia Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob have said in a joint statement that the two countries will launch the VTL between Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport. "The Prime Ministers recognised that Covid-19 has disrupted people to people connections between the two countries, and separated families for many months," states the statement.
But here's a caveat: the reopening only covers air travel, and does not include land travel via the Causeway at Woodlands or Second Link at Tuas. As with previous updates, travellers would be able to return without quarantine, only needing to take two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests – pre-departure and on-arrival.
This new announcement brings the number of countries Singaporeans can travel to up to 14. Meanwhile, this marks Malaysia's first VTL. Curious to see how life is in the neighbouring city? Now you can make a quick visit.


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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In January of 2019, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department launched the Organized Retail Crime Task Force, or The Unit, which aims to disrupt and reduce the number of groups committing organized retail theft.
Police said The Unit is comprised of 13 detectives across 10 divisions who are responsible for investigating retail theft crimes committed by chronic offenders that have resulted in violence or a high-value loss.
According to police, throughout the course of last year, the Unit has been responsible for investigating nearly 600 cases and has made close to 400 arrests, clearing 66% of the cases, so far.
Police have shared a video that depicts several suspects who targeted a local cosmetic store and were able to steal $21,000 in merchandise in just three minutes. Detectives are looking for information about these suspects, and encourage anyone with information to leave it anonymously with Crime Stoppers by calling 704-334-1600 or visiting http://charlottecrimestoppers.com/.


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40% of youngsters want to use crypto for payments, new research reveals
As many as 40% of 18 to 35-year-old people in 11 countries want to use crypto for payments as they are more efficient and safer.
Crypto is rapidly gaining in appeal among younger demographics, with 40% of 18 to 35-year-old consumers expressing an intent to use cryptocurrencies — such as bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH), and stablecoins — to pay for goods or services within the next 12 months, according to a new research report.
The report — dubbed “Demystifying Crypto: Shedding light on the adoption of digital currencies for payments in 2022” — was presented at the Bitcoin 2022 conference in Miami on April 6th by global payments provider Checkout.com. It points to an increasingly positive trend in the adoption of cryptocurrencies for online payments.
In 2021, 30% of young people were open to crypto payments, which “marks a substantial shift in attitude from digital currencies being seen as solely an investment vehicle to a means of doing business on a regular basis,” the report reads. Meanwhile, 23% of online businesses say they are planning to offer crypto payments by 2024.
Crypto offers convenient, safer payment methods
According to the report, this increased consumer openness to cryptocurrency is driven by a broader appetite for more convenient, safer payment methods. Merchants are heeding the call and trying to capitalize on this new trend by providing the underlying infrastructure to support crypto payment methods.
As a result, crypto is already having a material impact on merchants and the market overall. More than $2.5 billion worth of payments were made through Visa’s crypto-backed card in the first fiscal quarter of 2022 alone.
Merchants that have embraced cryptocurrency payments experienced net-new growth, with 82% saying those options allowed them to rapidly attract new customers and reach new demographics.
Almost 70% of the merchants surveyed believe that the speed with which crypto payments can be made and settled has the potential to revolutionize their business models — with over 80% of merchants with existing crypto-payment options saying it was easier to settle than using fiat currencies.
“We believe this is the largest consumer survey of its kind, and the findings present a clear evolution of attitudes towards cryptocurrencies around the world. This is a legitimate transition from the early adoption phase to one that’s more practical, pragmatic, and positive overall.”
Jess Houlgrave, head of strategy for crypto at Checkout.com, said, adding that:
“This transition means there’s a groundswell in demand for fintech companies that can provide easy-to-deploy solutions and services to get merchants up and running with crypto payment options—and then help them optimize the process over time. We expect that trend to only get stronger over the coming year as we bridge more services into Web3.”
Merchants want stablecoins on the balance sheet
According to the report, more than a third of the participants, including CFOs and corporate treasurers, are increasingly interested in holding stablecoins on their balance sheets. They see this as a way to use decentralized finance for treasury management.
Some are going as far as planning to pay vendors and employees in stablecoins — primarily in response to demand from those audiences. Roughly 51% of companies have reported that at least some employees have expressed an interest in getting paid in crypto.
More broadly, new communities of content creators, gamers, and gig workers are embracing crypto — 46% of online creatives say their fans and audiences have sent them digital currencies to support their work.
One other likely scenario held by 65% of C-level executives is that Web3 will materially change the B2C dynamic as consumers increasingly become producers. Houlgrave said:
“The cryptocurrency world is maturing and is increasingly being driven by utility, pragmatism, and empowerment, Checkout.com sees the potential for cryptocurrency to not only transform the way people transact, but also to potentially reinvent the dynamics of the entire digital economy,”
The report surveyed 30,000 consumers and 3,000 merchants in 11 countries, including the U.S., U.K., several western European countries, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia.